Tooth-brush.



L. N. CATES.

TOOTH BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.18. 19m. RENEWED APR. 12.1918.

Patented June 4, 1918.

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' WITNESSES:

.IJV VEA IOR. Lorwzn N Ca fes.

ATTORNEY.

LQEWIEN Ill. GATES, 015 ST. LOUIS, MISSQURI. 4

TlMbEH-BEUSH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 41, illli I Application flied December 1%, ions, Eerlal No. 137,653. Renewed April 12, 1918. Serial No. 228,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Lorwnv N. Ceres, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tooth- :Brushes, of which the following is a lull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formh an elastic pneumatic cup or sucker which,

hy se zing the surface oi the gum and drawtoward the enameled portion or the teeth, induces in the gum a healthy and rapid circulation, such. as usually results horn the application of vibrators and similar devices employed for massaging the slain, race and scalp. in the present embodiment of my invention the cup draws the gum tissue over the root of the tooth thereby preventing its engowure and keeping the same protected against germs and foreign matter from which the root should be permanently shielded. A. further object is to so dispose the cups that they may be protected by the bristles by which the teeth are cleansed. The advantages of the invention will be fully apparent from the following detailed description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 represents a perspective of a tooth brush having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-section through the bristle-supporting terminal of the brush handle; Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view clone of the gum-massaging elements; and Fig. i is a top plan of eierring to the drawings, 1, represents the usual brush handle, and 2 the head to which the bristles 3 are usually secured. In the present embodiment of -my invention there is dis osed medially on the head 2 a row of ru her stems 4 whose outer ends terminate in suclrer cups 5, the edges of the cups being substantially flush. with the free ends of the bristles, the cups with their supporting stems being surrounded and protected on two sides and one end (the outer end) by the bristles. I may of course dispose the cups so as to be entirely surrounded. by the bristles, but that would necessarily reduce the number of cups for a given size brush to make room for the bristles. I may too merely protect the cups on the sides by the bristles leaving the terminal cups unprotected without a departure from the principle of the invention. The preferred disnosition however is that as shown in the drawings. Preferably the cups 5 and their supporting stems are made of rubber, though I desire to be understood as not limiting myself to this material since any available substitute is contemplated by my invention. Again, while l have here shown the cups formed integrally with their supporting stems, they not be integral therewith, but may be secured thereto by cementing or any other means lmown to the art. Neither do l wish to be restricted to any particular method of securing the stems and cups to the handle of the brush, nor to the size of stem and cup, or to the number of stems and cups.

In cleaning the teeth, a brush should altill ways be passed up and down across the gums and teeth while the brush is being passed horizontally along the teeth. This imparts to the brush a resultant spiral movement, and since in the vertical down strokes (for example in cleaning the upper teeth) more pressure is or should be applied to the gums and teeth than on the u strokes the gums are subjected to a sort of eading action. Of course, a brush should always be applied wet, and being wet, the cups in my improved brush readily adhere to the gums operating as they do as the suckers from which the atmospheric air is expelled by the application of pressure. With the cups 0r suckers firmly adhering to the gums the latter can be readil pulled or drawn over the roots of the test with the downstrokes of the brush in cleaning the upper teeth and with the upstrokes in cleaning the lower teeth, asreviously described, this pulling) and knea ing action resulting in increased lood circulation, and in a thorough massaging of the gums. To secure the necessary expulsion of air from the cups the cup-supporting stems should not underwould interfere with the proper and continuous contact of the edges of the cups with the gums. Such undue deflection is prevented by the protecting rows of bristles which may wholly or partly encircle the stems and cups. The cups may be considered as the gum-massaging section or portion of the brush, and the bristles as the tooth-cleansing portion or section. The two necessarily cooperateito massage or treat the gums and to clean the teeth. Many changes may obviousl be resorted to without in any wise affecting the nature or spirit of the invention, By cup is meant any element having the quality or function of adhering to the gums in the operation of the cleaning of the teeth, irrespective of the physical form or shape of such element. 1 do not wish to be restricted to a dished or cup form of cup; and where the term cup is used in the claims it is to be understood in its broadest sense and without restriction as to form. Neither do I wish to be restricted to the use of bristles for cleaning the teeth.

I messes Having described my invention what I claim is: I

1. A brush of the character described comprising a handle, said handle having aterminal provided with a medially disposed row of sucker cups, and side rows of bristles bounding the cups 2. A tooth-brush comprising a handle terminating in a suitable brush-support, a series of flexible stems disposed medially of said support, sucker cups terminating the free ends of the stems, bristles disposed on the sides and outer end of the series of stems and on s, the parts operating substantially as set orth.

3. In a brush of the character described, a handle, a row of flexible stems carried thereby, a sucker terminating each stem, teeth cleansing bristles protecting said stems In testimon whereot I my siature in presence 0 two witnesses.

LORW'IN N. GATES.

Witnesses:

Em Sr a E M. Sm.

and 

